What Is the NCAA Quiet Period?

The NCAA defines the quiet period as a time when “a college coach may not have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents off the college campus and may not watch student-athletes compete or visit their high school.” To break it down, the NCAA Quiet Period is a time you can talk to college coaches in-person on their college campus. However, the coach is not allowed to watch athletes compete in-person, visit their school, talk to them at their home—or talk to them anywhere outside of the college campus.

The goal of this period is to give elite recruits a break from getting visited by college coaches at their games and at their home. For average recruits, this time will feel like a contact period. You can still text, call, email or direct message coaches during this time—and you should be reaching out to stay proactive in your recruiting.

The quiet period is a specific recruiting period in the NCAA calendar for Division I and Division II sports to regulate when and how coaches can contact athletes throughout the year. While it’s up to the coaches to comply with the NCAA calendar, it’s important for athletes to know the different recruiting periods on the calendar so they develop realistic expectations of the type of recruiting that will take place throughout the year.

Insider Tip: The NCAA Quiet Period only applies to Division I and Division II schools. Division III and NAIA schools (see the NAIA recruiting rules) allow coaches to watch a recruit in person at any point throughout the year.

Recruiting tips for the NCAA Quiet Period

Even though coaches can’t visit prospects during the quiet period, recruiting is still happening. Many recruits choose to take unofficial visits during this time. Since the coach can’t come to them, they go to the coach. Unofficial visits give recruits the chance to tour a college campus, meet with the coach, see the athletic facilities and experience the campus culture. Because coaches are still able to text, call and email recruits during this time, it’s easy to set up a visit.

If you’re an elite recruit who’s feeling a little run down after a few months of coach visits, you can take this time to catch your breath and figure out which schools you’re most interested in. Create a list of your top schools with pros and cons for each one. If you have any lingering questions about a program, you can still send those questions to the coach during the quiet period.

When is the NCAA Quiet Period?

Division I Football FBS

September 1 – November 24, 2018

December 16, 2018

January 4-6, 2019 (National Service Academies only)

February 3, 2019

February 8 – April 14, 2019

June 1-23, 2019

July 25-31, 2019

Division I Football FCS

September 1 – November 24, 2018

December 16, 2018

February 3, 2019

February 8 – April 14, 2019

June 1 – July 31, 2019

Division I Baseball

August 27 – September 13, 2018

November 16, 2018 – January 2, 2019

January 7 – February 28, 2019

Division I Men’s Basketball

August 1 – September 8, 2018

April 1-3, 2019

April 25, 2019

May 3-15, 2019

May 25 – June 12, 2019

June 15-20, 2019

June 24-27, 2019

July 1-5, 2019

Division I Women’s Basketball

August 1-12, 2018

August 18 – September 8, 2018

April 12-14, 2019

April 24-25, 2019

April 29 – May 5, 2019

May 13-16, 2019

May 20 – July 5, 2019

July 26-31, 2019

Division I Men's Golf

November 26 – December 22, 2018

During this time, a coach can evaluate a recruit at two events—a showcase and a combine—that are traditionally held in conjunction with the Golf Coaches Association of America National Convention.

Except: December 2-6 (12:01 am): Dead period; the NCAA explains that a dead period is in effect from the first official day of the Golf Coaches Association of America Convention until 12:01 am on the day after the convention ends

Division I Men’s Lacrosse

August 15-31, 2018

Division I Women’s Lacrosse

August 15-31, 2018

Division I Women’s Volleyball

August 1-31, 2018

December 1, 2018 – January 31, 2019

Except: During the AVCA annual awards banquet, college coaches can accidentally bump into two-year college athletes who’ve been awarded. But they are not allowed to have any conversations about recruiting at that time.

Except: Coaching staff is permitted to evaluate recruits on one day only, starting the Thursday of the NCAA Division 1 Women’s Volleyball Championship through the Sunday immediately following the championship. The event they recruit at must be within a 30-mile radius of the championship site, and they cannot attend any events that take place at the same time as a collegiate game.

February 1-14, 2019

May 1-30, 2019

Division I Softball

Nov. 19 – Dec. 4, 2018

Dec. 9, 2018 – Jan. 1, 2019

Division I Women’s Ice Hockey

Monday prior to the American Hockey Coaches Association Convention through May 31, 2019

Division II Football

June 1, 2018 until the beginning of the recruit’s first regularly scheduled football practice

March 13 – May 31, 2019

April 15 – May 31, 2019: Evaluation period; when evaluations aren’t taking place, recruits should treat it like a quiet period